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Sex Effects On Life Span And Senescence In The Wild When Dates Of Birth And Death Are Unknown, Felix Zajitschek, Chad Brassil, Russell Bonduriansky, Robert C. Brooks

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Males and females allocate and schedule reproductive effort in very different ways. Because the timing and amount of reproductive effort influence survival and thus the optimization of life histories, mortality and senescence are predicted to be sex specific. However, age-specific mortality rates of wild animals are often difficult to quantify in natural populations. Studies that report mortality rates from natural populations are, therefore, almost entirely confined to long-lived, easy-to-track species such as large mammals and birds. Here, we employ a novel approach using capture–mark–recapture data from a wild population of black field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus) to test for …

The Effect Of Oxidant And The Non-Oxidant Alteration Of Cellular Thiol Concentration On The Formation Of Protein Mixed-Disulfides In Hek 293 Cells, Jasen Lee Gilge, Michael Fisher, Yuh-Cherng Chai

Chemistry

Cellular molecules possess various mechanisms in responding to oxidant stress. In terms of protein responses, protein S-glutathionylation is a unique post-translational modification of protein reactive cysteines forming disulfides with glutathione molecules. This modification has been proposed to play roles in antioxidant, regulatory and signaling in cells under oxidant stress. Recently, the increased level of protein S-glutathionylation has been linked with the development of diseases. In this report, specific S-glutathionylated proteins were demonstrated in human embryonic kidney 293 cells treated with two different oxidative reagents: diamide and hydrogen peroxide. Diamide is a chemical oxidizing agent whereas hydrogen peroxide is a physiological …

A Correlational Study: The Relationship Between Physical Activity Levels, Physical Self-Worth, And Global Self-Worth In High School Physical Education Students, Ashley Danelle Eyre

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity levels, physical self-worth, and its sub-domains; (a) skill, (b) body attractiveness, (c) fitness and conditioning, and (d) strength, and overall global self-worth in high school students. One-Hundred and sixty-seven students (male = 66;female = 101) from the western United States, ages 13-18, participated in this study. Each participant completed a minimum of four days of physical activity (PA) data collection and completed the self-worth questionnaire. Pedometers were used to collect PA levels, calculating mean step counts, and the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile (CY-PSPP) was used …

Examining Neurophysiological Evidence Of Age-Related Interactions Of Sensory And Cognitive Processes During Speech Processing, Cady Kristen Block

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study sought to examine the contribution of sensory and cognitive factors on speech processing as evidenced by ERP measures and to find support for the Sensory Cognitive Interaction Theory (SCIT) and the Effortfulness Hypothesis in that older adults. who experience sensory deficits with normal aging. must put forth increased effort during early sensory stages of speech processing that may compromise subsequent semantic performance and recall of information. In the present investigation. younger and older adults performed a sentence verification task at low and high presentation levels (PL). Accuracy and response time to sentence verifications were assessed along with …

Application Of Shortest-Path Network Analysis To Identify Genes That Modulate Longevity In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Jr Managbanag

Theses and Dissertations

Shortest-path network analysis was employed to identify novel genes that modulate longevity in the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Based upon a set of previously reported genes associated with increased life span, a shortest path network algorithm was applied to a pre-existing protein-protein interaction dataset in order to construct a shortest-path longevity network. To validate this network, the replicative aging potential of 88 single gene deletion strains corresponding to predicted components of the shortest path longevity network was determined. The 88 single-gene deletion strains identified by a network approach are significantly enriched for mutation conferring both increased and decreased replicative life …

Environmental Effects On The Expression Of Life Span And Aging: An Extreme Contrast Between Wild And Captive Cohorts Of Telostylinus Angusticollis (Diptera: Neriidae), Noriyoshi Kawasaki, Chad Brassil, Robert Brooks, Russell Bonduriansky

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Most research on life span and aging has been based on captive populations of short-lived animals; however, we know very little about the expression of these traits in wild populations of such organisms. Because life span and aging are major components of fitness, the extent to which the results of many evolutionary studies in the laboratory can be generalized to natural settings depends on the degree to which the expression of life span and aging differ in natural environments versus laboratory environments and whether such environmental effects interact with phenotypic variation. We investigated life span and aging in Telostylinus angusticollis …

Aging And Partial Body Weight Support Affects Gait Variability, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Max J. Kurz, Julie L. Ehlers, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background: Aging leads to increases in gait variability which may explain the large incidence of falls in the elderly. Body weight support training may be utilized to improve gait in the elderly and minimize falls. However, before initiating rehabilitation protocols, baseline studies are needed to identify the effect of body weight support on elderly gait variability. Our purpose was to determine the kinematic variability of the lower extremities in young and elderly healthy females at changing levels of body weight support during walking.

Methods: Ten young and ten elderly females walked on a treadmill for two minutes with a body …

Bilateral Claudication Results In Alterations In The Gait Biomechanics At The Hip And Ankle Joints, Shing-Jye Chen, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason Johanning, Matija Radovic, Jessie M. Huisinga, Sara A. Myers, Nikolaos Stergiou

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Claudication is the most common symptomatic manifestation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), producing significant ambulatory compromise. The purpose of this study was to use advanced biomechanical gait analysis to determine the gait alterations occurring in claudicating patients both before and after onset of claudication pain in their legs. Hip, knee, and ankle joint moments were measured in claudicating patients (age: 64.46±8.47 years; body mass: 80.70±12.64 kg; body height: 1.72±0.08 m) and were compared to gender–age–body mass–height-matched healthy controls (age 66.27±9.22 years; body mass: 77.89±10.65 kg; body height: 1.74±0.08 m). The claudicating patients were evaluated both before (pain-free (PF) condition) and …

Reasons For Physical Activity And Exercise Participation In Senior Athletes, Deborah Lynne Fife

Theses and Dissertations

Research on physical activity and exercise in the elderly is limited. This study used the Participation Motivation Questionnaire for Older Adults (PMQOA) to assess reasons for engaging in regular physical activity of participants at the 2007 Huntsman World Senior Games. The 259 subjects ranged from ages 50 to 85 years and were divided into tertiles based on frequency of exercise, determined by self reported weekly exercise time and days for further comparison. The most commonly reported reasons for exercise were to stay healthy, keep physically fit, and stay in shape. A previously conducted factor analysis on the PMAOQ revealed six …

Characteristics Of Volunteer Leaders In The American Dietetic Association Compared To Non-Volunteer Registered Dietitians, Samantha Payne Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations

Objective To identify characteristics of dietitians who serve as leaders in the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and their managers, and to compare them to registered dietitians not in volunteer leadership roles and their managers.
Design A cross-sectional survey of volunteer leaders and those who have never volunteered as leaders in ADA.
Subjects/setting The study sample included elected officers in ADA and executive board members of ADA state affiliates (volunteer leaders) (n=259) and their managers (n=115), as well as a sample of registered dietitians not in ADA leadership roles (control) (n=273) and their managers (n=221).
Statistical analyses performed The variables examined …

Initial Interaction Of Apoa-I With Abca1 Impacts In Vivo Metabolic Fate Of Nascent Hdl, Anny Mulya, Ji-Young Lee, Abraham K. Gebre, Elena Y. Boudyguina, Soonkyu Chung, Thomas L. Smith, Perry L. Colvin, Xian-Cheng Jiang, John S. Parks

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

We investigated the in vivo metabolic fate of preb HDL particles in human apolipoprotein A-I transgenic (hA-I Tg) mice. Pre-b HDL tracers were assembled by incubation of [125I]tyramine cellobiose-labeled apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) with HEK293 cells expressing ABCA1. Radiolabeled pre-b HDLs of increasing size (pre-b1, -2, -3, and -4 HDLs) were isolated by fast-protein liquid chromatography and injected into hA-I Tg-recipient mice, after which plasma decay, in vivo remodeling, and tissue uptake were monitored. Pre-b2, -3, and -4 had similar plasma die-away rates, whereas pre-b1 HDL was removed 7-fold more rapidly. Radiolabel recovered in liver and kidney 24 h after tracer …

Systematic Reviews Of Animal Experiments Demonstrate Poor Contributions To Human Healthcare, Andrew Knight

Experimentation Collection

Widespread reliance on animal models during preclinical research and toxicity testing assumes their reasonable predictivity for human outcomes. However, of 20 published systematic reviews examining human clinical utility located during a comprehensive literature search, animal models demonstrated significant potential to contribute toward clinical interventions in only two cases, one of which was contentious. Included were experiments expected by ethics committees to lead to medical advances, highly-cited experiments published in major journals, and chimpanzee experiments—the species most generally predictive of human outcomes. Seven additional reviews failed to demonstrate utility in reliably predicting human toxicological outcomes such as carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. Results …

Heritability Of Longevity In Captive Populations Of Nondomesticated Mammals And Birds, Robert Ricklefs, Carlos Cadena

Biology Department Faculty Works

We used variance components analysis and offspring–parent regression to estimate the heritability of age at death in zoo populations of several species of mammals and birds. A meta-analysis over 14 species of mammals indicated a variance–component heritability of 0.53. More conservative regression estimates of heritability for the same species averaged 0.17. Offspring–parent regressions were not significant for any of eight species of birds. Heritabilities for data simulated with frailty and age-at-death models showed that sources of variation in age at death cannot be distinguished from observed heritabilities. The CVA in age at death in six mammal species, based on parent–offspring …

Exercise, Apoe, And Working Memory: Meg And Behavioral Evidence For Benefit Of Exercise In Epsilon4 Carriers, Sean P. Deeny, David Poeppel, Jo B. Zimmerman, Stephen M. Roth, Josef Brandauer, Sarah Witkowski, Joseph W. Hearn, Andrew T. Ludlow, José L. Contreras-Vidal, Jason Brandt, Bradley D. Hatfield

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Performance on the Sternberg working memory task, and MEG cortical response on a variation of the Sternberg task were examined in middle-aged carriers and non-carriers of the APOE ε4 allele. Physical activity was also assessed to examine whether exercise level modifies the relationship between APOE genotype and neurocognitive function. Regression revealed that high physical activity was associated with faster RT in the six- and eight-letter conditions of the Sternberg in ε4 carriers, but not in the non-carriers after controlling for age, gender, and education (N = 54). Furthermore, the MEG analysis revealed that sedentary ε4 carriers exhibited lower right temporal …

Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facilty 2007 Annual Report, Issue 6, Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility

Biomechanics Annual Report

This issue features UNO Announces the Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility (NBCF), Exciting Growth, This Project was FUN!, Tours!, Welcome and Hello! - Open House for Two Colleges, Laboratory Updates, Latest Developments, Other Global Connections, and Other Exciting News.

Pengaruh Pajanan Sinar Ultraviolet B Bersumber Dari Sinar Matahari Terhadap Konsentrasi Vitamin D (25(Oh)D) Dan Hormon Paratiroit Pada Perempuan Usia Lanjut Indonesia, Siti Setiati

Kesmas

Berbagai penelitian menunjukkan bahwa defisiensi vitamin D dan hiperpara-tiroidisme sekunder menimbulkan dampak serius pada kesehatan, antara lain meliputi osteoporosis, osteomalasia, kelemahan otot, jatuh dan fraktur osteoporotik. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah (1) mengetahui pengaruh pajanan UVB sinar matahari pada konsentrasi 25(OH)D dan hormon paratiroid (PTH) perempuan usia lanjut Indonesia. (2) mendapatkan saat dan lama pemajanan yang optimal. Penelitian uji klinik acak terbuka ini melibatkan 74 perempuan berusia 60 - 90 tahun yang tinggal di 4 panti werda di Jakarta dan Bekasi. Randomisasi dilakukan untuk memisahkan kelompok studi dan kontrol. Kelompok kontrol hanya mendapat kalsium 1000 mg/hari, sedang kelompok intervensi dipajankan dengan …

The Relationship Between Agency Characteristics And Quality Of Home Care, Dawn M. Dalby, John P. Hirdes

Kinesiology and Physical Education Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT. Background. This project assessed the relationship between home care quality indicators HCQIs) and agency characteristics. Methods. Twelve agencies completed a mailed survey on a variety of characteristics, including size of their caseload and for-profit (FP) status of contracted service providers. The HCQIs were derived from standardized assessments completed voluntarily for home care clients in Ontario and in Manitoba, Canada. Results. The average caseload was 121.3 clients per case manager, and over 40% of nursing, personal support and therapy providers were considered FP. For individual HCQIs, few correlations were statistically significant. An overall summary measure of quality was …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 9 2008, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Beta-Alanine Supplementation On Neuromuscular Fatigue In Elderly (55–92 Years): A Double-Blind Randomized Study, Jeffrey R. Stout, B. Sue Graves, Abbie E. Smith, Michael J. Hartman, Joel T. Cramer, Travis W. Beck, Roger C. Harris

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Ageing is associated with a significant reduction in skeletal muscle carnosine which has been linked with a reduction in the buffering capacity of muscle and in theory, may increase the rate of fatigue during exercise. Supplementing beta-alanine has been shown to significantly increase skeletal muscle carnosine. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the effects of ninety days of beta-alanine supplementation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC_FT) in elderly men and women.

Methods: Using a double-blind placebo controlled design, twenty-six men (n = 9) and women (n = 17) (age ± …

I Know What I Like: Stability Of Aesthetic Preference In Alzheimer's Disease, Andrea R. Halpern, Jenny Ly, Seth Elkin-Franklin, Margaret G. O'Connor

Faculty Journal Articles

Two studies explored the stability of art preference in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and age-matched control participants. Preferences for three different styles of paintings, displayed on art postcards, were examined over two sessions. Preference for specific paintings differed among individuals but AD and non-AD groups maintained about the same stability in terms of preference judgments across two weeks, even though the AD patients did not have explicit memory for the paintings. We conclude that aesthetic responses can be preserved in the face of cognitive decline. This should encourage caregivers and family to engage in arts appreciation activities with patients, and …

Letter From The Dean, Lalit R. Verma

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Melody Recognition At Fast And Slow Tempos: Effects Of Age, Experience, And Familiarity, W. Jay Dowling, James C. Bartlett, Andrea R. Halpern, Melinda W. Andrews

Faculty Journal Articles

Eighty-one listeners defined by three age ranges (18–30, 31–59, and over 60 years) and three levels of musical experience performed an immediate recognition task requiring the detection of alterations in melodies. On each trial, a brief melody was presented, followed 5 sec later by a test stimulus that either was identical to the target or had two pitches changed, for a same–different judgment. Each melody pair was presented at 0.6 note/sec, 3.0 notes/sec, or 6.0 notes/sec. Performance was better with familiar melodies than with unfamiliar melodies. Overall performance declined slightly with age and improved substantially with increasing experience, in agreement …

Genotoxic Stress-Induced Expression Of P53 And Restoration Of Apoptosis In Leukemic Clam Hemocytes With Cytoplasmically Sequestered P53, Stefanie Boettger, Emily Jerszyk, Ben Low, Charles Walker

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Psycho-Social Effects Of A Brain-Training Program Among Healthy Older Adults, Desma Hurley, M. Jean Turner, William C. Bailey

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Grounded in cognitive neuroscience and social exchange theory, this research evaluated the relationship between changes in cognitive functioning and two psycho-social dimensions of life among healthy adults over the age of 70 (N=12). Specific psycho-social dimensions examined were social interaction and depression. Six females and six males participated in the study. All were white, college-educated individuals residing in a life-care residential retirement community. The participants used the Posit Science® Brain Fitness Program™, an auditory-based computer training program that improves memory and speed of processing, for forty hours over an eight-week period. Pre- and post-tests related to social interaction and depressive …

Effects Of Blueberries On Mortality Rates And Indy Gene Expression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jenna N. Derr, Tamara L. Smith, Kimberly A. Carlson

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Aging may involve free radical accumulation, which causes cell damage. Foods with antioxidant properties, such as blueberries, have been implicated as being able to extend the longevity of an organism. In addition to environmental factors, genetics also plays a role in aging and death.. In Drosophila melanogaster, one of the genes involved in longevity is Indy (I'm not dead yet). Mutations to this gene have demonstrated the ability to increase lifespan. The objective of this experiment was to determine if blueberries added to instant fly food affects mortality rates and Indy gene expression profiles of female D. …

Exercise And Diabetes Influence Antioxidant Activity And Gene Expression In Female Rats, Janet E. Steele, Karynn E. Kucera, Cory A. Ciccone, Mary E. Connealy

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The goal of this study was to examine the influence of exercise training and type I diabetes on the activity of aconitase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), on levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), on the expression of genes responsible for glutathione synthesis (Gclc, g-glutamylcysteine synthase; Gss, glutathione synthetase), and on the expression of genes responsible for the formation of two potassium channels (Kcnd2, I_to; KCNQl, I_Ks) in cardiac muscle. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: sedentary controls, sedentary diabetics, trained controls, and trained diabetics. Diabetes was induced via streptozotocin injection, and training consisted of …

Stepping Over Obstacles Of Different Heights And Varied Shoe Traction Alter The Kinetic Strategies Of The Leading Limb, Jeremy J. Houser, Leslie M. Decker, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

This study aims to investigate the effects of shoe traction and obstacle height on friction during walking to better understand the mechanisms required to avoid slippage following obstacle clearance. Ten male subjects walked at a self-selected pace during eight different conditions: four obstacle heights (0%, 10%, 20%, and 40% of limb length) while wearing two different pairs of shoes (low and high traction). Frictional forces were calculated from the ground reaction forces following obstacle clearance, which were sampled with a Kistler platform at 960 Hz. All frictional peaks increased with increases in obstacle height. Low traction shoes yielded smaller peaks …

Pyridinium Bisretinoids: Synthesis And Photoactivated Cytotoxicity, Junping Gao

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses pyridinium bisretinoid compounds (PBRs), which were prepared for two purposes: 1) to use them as standards for detection of novel fluorophores in human RPE cells, which may be involved in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and 2) to use them in the development of a targeted and triggered drug delivery system for cancer therapy. We prepared a selection of PBRs using a one-pot biomimetic method; synthesis, mechanisms for formation, and characterization of these compounds is described. We also explored the photoreactivity of three novel PBR compounds and found that these PBRs form oxidation products under blue-light irradiation. The …

The Effect Of Selection For Desiccation Resistance On Cold Tolerance Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Brent J. Sinclair, Sean Nelson, Theresa L. Nilson, Stephen P. Roberts, Allen G. Gibbs

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Low Temperature and Desiccation Stress Are Thought to Be Mechanistically Similar in Insects, and Several Studies Indicate that There is a Degree of Cross-Tolerance between Them, such that Increased Cold Tolerance Results in Greater Desiccation Tolerance and Vice Versa. This Assertion is Tested at an Evolutionary Scale by Examining Basal Cold Tolerance, Rapid Cold-Hardening (RCH) and Chill Coma Recovery in Replicate Populations of Drosophila Melanogaster Selected for Desiccation Resistance (With Controls for Both Selection and Concomitant Starvation) for over 50 Generations. All of the Populations Display a RCH Response, and There is No Effect of Selection Regime on RCH or …

Approximate Entropy Detects The Effect Of A Secondary Cognitive Task On Postural Control In Healthy Young Adults: A Methodological Report, James T. Cavanaugh, Vicki S. Mercer, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background: Biomechanical measures of postural stability, while generally useful in neuroscience and physical rehabilitation research, may be limited in their ability to detect more subtle influences of attention on postural control. Approximate entropy (ApEn), a regularity statistic from nonlinear dynamics, recently has demonstrated relatively good measurement precision and shown promise for detecting subtle change in postural control after cerebral concussion. Our purpose was to further explore the responsiveness of ApEn by using it to evaluate the immediate, short-term effect of secondary cognitive task performance on postural control in healthy, young adults.

Methods: Thirty healthy, young adults performed a modified version …